On the topic of twin ads, Mike Wolfsohn has posted this Adage article: In Defense of Inevitable Creative Outcomes, where he says that advertising isn't an originality contest, but a tool where one should do what's appropriate for the issue at hand. He rightly points out that input effects the outcome as well, as too many briefs are the exact same starting point, so landing on the same end-point shouldn't surprise anyone.

Too frequently ads are accused of being rip-offs of music videos or movies, without recognizing the talent that is required to identify creativity within one artistic genre and translate it successfully into another -- namely marketing.

He makes a good argument, and ties it up nicely with: "originality should be celebrated, risk should be rewarded and innovation should be admired. But so, too, should the ability to translate popular culture into effective marketing. Not when it's done illegally, surreptitiously, or dishonestly -- but when it's done humbly, artfully and insightfully"

Banned ad of the week, last years "Tombola Bingo" advert where a british upper class (and white) bloke sits on the beach in his tuxedo, having every word he says repeated in song by a hawaiian shirt clad ukelele playing local (thus, a black man). Two people complained that it presented a negative racial stereotype. Only one whined that it seemed to try and do the song-funny of "Real American heroes" and failing (me).

The ASA considered that the relationship between the two characters "was defined as the power of the white man over the black man", because of the difference in their dress and the way the black man was portrayed as less intelligent in that he repeated everything the white man said, even "Thank you, Tito".

Australia is apparently running this spot for the *dating* service during the upcoming Oscars, while the U.S. is not. Yea free speech down under! Or is it more, yeah good taste in the U.S.? Latter! Ashley Madison claims there’s hypocrisy at work because of the themes in the movies that night. (Maybe, but the films don’t openly advocate the lifestyles they depict, unlike the dating service which encourages you to cheat.) Here’s the thing though, and it’s what kept Mancrunch from ever having a realistic shot at getting on the Super Bowl, and has nothing to do with gay, not-gay, single, not single, etc.— The ad just ain’t that good. Come Oscar night, there are going to be parodies by the best FX houses (and plastic surgeons) in the world doing segments with actors throughout the evening, and then this comes on? It’s like student work with actors and spray paint. The end.

We have Head / Novak Djokovic viral movie vs Budweiser's Kasey Kahne commercial, both using instant replay to reveal much more happening in a split second than ever could happen, but with Head dragging that thin joke along so long I almost shot my screen to put it out of its misery.

I'm pretty sure I've seen the instant replay gag before though. What about you?

Yes, Matt just wrote about it on agencyspy, but I was actually tipped off by the French badland ninja @joelapompe a few days ago. I've been trying to get a comment from anyone involved, but everyone so far has declined. Matt found that it made the papers in Jerusalem: the Jerusalem post.

Yo, listen up - if you were watching the bowl in the Northeast or Pacific NW, or simply went for the big flush you might have missed these regional ads for CarMax out of BooneOakley, Charlotte, N.C., and that's a real shame because with in-camera well-trained animal action, these reach a level of funny that those tired CGI repeats of the dramatic prairie dog do not. By the way, I want a capuchin monkey for my birthday.

Copyranter is putting his foot down. He says enough is enough, the Marilyn "Seven year itch" pose has now been in every kind of ad idea, from explaining farts in science world, to preventing farts (anti gas medication), to showing a tiny Marilyn for short film festivals. Now the kilt-wearing whisky dudes are getting on the action. Yes, stop it. Besides, I did the tiny Marilyn thing ten years ago. *

KGB released a couple of weeks ago, featuring Anita Renfroe vs Dove "The journey to comfort" seen in the super bowl XLIV - Both to the tune of the William Tell overture. *snicker snicker* Someone is kicking themselves right now. (ads inside)

Lowe Brindfors and NTF Stockholm just launched this campaign showing cell phones in car crashes, or cell phones as crashed cars, to visually tell people to hang up while driving. (Is it just me or could that be Princess Dianas cell phone car crash?)

So, now that most of the tradepress has caught up, lets update the fantastic Coke Happiness machine stunt from Definition6 (which has set the retweet record at 285 now, for those keeping score at home) with the invariable, the crowds that yawn and say "seen that before". It's an advertising disease, my last post about the ebay auction was one big "seen it". The only known cure is to be reborn.

Once again, the world wide web causes a local ad to be misinterpreted abroad. Americans who saw the KFC Cricket Survival guide ad found it racist, as it depicts "African Americans liking fried chicken"

Come again? The ad, which in Australia was titled "How to Silence a Noisy Crowd", depicts an Australia fan who has ended up in the seating area of the West Indies fans. "Need a tip when you're stuck in an awkward situation?" he asks the camera. He then serves a bucket of chicken to everyone around him and any opposing team friction is defused as all cricket fans like food. It is but one handy tip in the KFC Cricket Survival guide campaign.

The campaign was devised by veteran creative Garry Lace, from the Beta agency, to show the power of billboard advertising as an alternative to digital advertising. He was unavailable for comment at the time of publication.

There's a spec ad running around the web right now, touting the clean emissions from the Audi A5 by demonstrating a mans failed suicide attempt. You must have seen it, even AgencySpy showed it off. Would be good for the spec director and/or creative team if the credits ran around the web with it.

This Badlander is hilarious, and classic. The ideas are good, and unusual, they appeared in the same city, only ten days apart (or less even). If there was ever a time I'd bet on the idea-God messing with creatives heads, this one is it.

Around the 16th/17 of December, TBWA\Neboko sent people with giant boxes out in the Christmas shopping crowd. Presumably, they had bought some lucky fellar a walk-in-fridge, just like in that ad. This made for eye-catching ambient, especially as people were trying to bring them on trams.